The law of karma governs the universe and all beings within it; it acts impersonally and
binds each atman (inner Self) to the world and in addition to the cycle of
transmigration. The law of karma acts impersonally, yet we may meaningfully interpret
its results as either positive (punya) or negative (papa) — terms describing actions
leading the Self either toward or away from the spiritual goal. Karma is further graded
as: white (shukla), black (krishna), mixed (shukla-krishna) or neither white nor black
(ashukla-akrishna). The latter term describes the karma of the jnani, who, as Rishi
Patanjali says, is established in kaivalya, freedom from prakriti through realization of
the Self. Similarly, one's karma must be in a condition of ashukla-akrishna, quiescent
balance, in order for liberation to be attained. This equivalence of karma is called
karmasamya, and is a factor that brings malaparipaka, or maturity of anava mala. It is
this state of resolution in preparation for samadhi at death that all Hindus seek through
making amends and settling differences.
Karma is one of the important spiritual laws that govern our life experiences through
principle of cause and effect, action and reaction, total cosmic justice and personal
responsibility. Karma is not fate. You have free will. No God or external force is
controlling ones life. It is our own karmic creation. We are bounded by Karma in this
and other lifetimes until we understand the complete consequences of all our actions.
As Athma (Soul), we experience a constant cycle of births and deaths into a series of
bodies until we have learned all the spiritual lessons that the totality of all experiences
have to teach us. Until we have learned, we will find that "resistance" to the rules of
karma is "futile". A person carries with him the dharma and the Karma from one birth to
another.
Like gravity, karma was always there in its fullest potency, even when people did not
comprehend it. The early seers who brought through the Vedas were practitioners,
mystics and divine oracles who put into practice the knowledge of karma. To them,
Karma (from the root kri, "to do") was a power by which they could influence the Gods,
nature, weather, harvests and enemies through right intent and rites righteously
performed. Thus by their actions they could determine their destiny.
Through the ages, other realized souls explained the workings of karma, revealing
details of this cosmic law and, when the tradition of writing came into vogue, recording
it for future generations. In this way they established karma as perhaps the fundamental
principle of Hindu consciousness and culture then and now.
binds each atman (inner Self) to the world and in addition to the cycle of
transmigration. The law of karma acts impersonally, yet we may meaningfully interpret
its results as either positive (punya) or negative (papa) — terms describing actions
leading the Self either toward or away from the spiritual goal. Karma is further graded
as: white (shukla), black (krishna), mixed (shukla-krishna) or neither white nor black
(ashukla-akrishna). The latter term describes the karma of the jnani, who, as Rishi
Patanjali says, is established in kaivalya, freedom from prakriti through realization of
the Self. Similarly, one's karma must be in a condition of ashukla-akrishna, quiescent
balance, in order for liberation to be attained. This equivalence of karma is called
karmasamya, and is a factor that brings malaparipaka, or maturity of anava mala. It is
this state of resolution in preparation for samadhi at death that all Hindus seek through
making amends and settling differences.
Karma is one of the important spiritual laws that govern our life experiences through
principle of cause and effect, action and reaction, total cosmic justice and personal
responsibility. Karma is not fate. You have free will. No God or external force is
controlling ones life. It is our own karmic creation. We are bounded by Karma in this
and other lifetimes until we understand the complete consequences of all our actions.
As Athma (Soul), we experience a constant cycle of births and deaths into a series of
bodies until we have learned all the spiritual lessons that the totality of all experiences
have to teach us. Until we have learned, we will find that "resistance" to the rules of
karma is "futile". A person carries with him the dharma and the Karma from one birth to
another.
Like gravity, karma was always there in its fullest potency, even when people did not
comprehend it. The early seers who brought through the Vedas were practitioners,
mystics and divine oracles who put into practice the knowledge of karma. To them,
Karma (from the root kri, "to do") was a power by which they could influence the Gods,
nature, weather, harvests and enemies through right intent and rites righteously
performed. Thus by their actions they could determine their destiny.
Through the ages, other realized souls explained the workings of karma, revealing
details of this cosmic law and, when the tradition of writing came into vogue, recording
it for future generations. In this way they established karma as perhaps the fundamental
principle of Hindu consciousness and culture then and now.